Loose Leaf

The Official Blog of American Forests

Super Wetlands

Approximately 70 percent of Americans tuned into the Super Bowl yesterday and saw Seattle’s win, according to early estimates. But did you know that Seattle — along with the rest of the world — had another reason to celebrate yesterday? No, I’m not talking about celebrating the six more weeks of winter that Punxatawny Phil announced, either. Yesterday was World Wetlands Day.

With a final score of 43-8, the big game may not have been close, but when it comes to wetlands Washington and Colorado are neck and neck: Colorado has around a million acres of wetlands — 1.5 percent of the state’s total area — while Washington comes in at 938,000 acres of wetland, or two percent of total area.

Wetlands in Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle. Credit: Brian Dewey

Cottonwoods planted by American Forests and The Park People at Bluff Lake Nature Center in Denver. Credit: American Forests

Wetlands are some of the most important ecosystems on the planet, cleaning water, filtering pollution, providing wildlife habitat and acting as buffers between communities and extreme weather events. Check out the different types of wetlands or see what we’re doing to restore wetlands and riparian areas in both Seattle and Denver.